


waves break, the ocean goes on

by Miaou Jones (miaoujones)



Category: Free!
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Honest Conversations, Optimism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-02-14 00:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2171766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miaoujones/pseuds/Miaou%20Jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"If there's something you want to ask me, you know you can. Just… just be sure you really want to know the answer."</p>
            </blockquote>





	waves break, the ocean goes on

**Author's Note:**

> Mild spoilers for High Speed! 2 and S02E08. Destined to be jossed. Untagged references to past Kisumi/Makoto.

Haru watches the waves come in and drift back out as they walk home from the swim club. "Kisumi was happy to see you," he says, still looking at the ocean.

"Well, yeah." Makoto sounds cheerful. "That's only normal, right? To be happy when you see a childhood friend you haven't in a while?" When Haru offers no comment, Makoto adds, "He was happy to see you, too."

Haru stops looking at the water as they continue on. He steals a glance at Makoto before looking forward. "He's always liked you."

In his peripheral vision, he sees Makoto turn to him now. "He's always liked you, too." Makoto is still looking at him but Haru doesn't look back; not even when Makoto says, "Is something on your mind?"

Haru waits until Makoto isn't looking at him anymore. "He stuck his tongue out at me."

Makoto laughs. "What? He did that today?"

Haru shakes his head. "In middle school. When he took you away," he turns to watch the water again, "to join the basketball team…"

"Well," Makoto says. Haru waits for him to excuse it by saying they were just kids then, but Makoto says, "I didn't join the basketball team, though. I joined the swim team."

"Yeah." A wave crests too soon, sinks back into the ocean without reaching the shore. There was a time when they knew everything about each other, what they were thinking and what they wanted… Or maybe there had never been a time like that, not truly. Maybe they've always had things deep inside them the other couldn't read; even in childhood, Makoto had been able to surprise him by saying things like wanting to go somewhere Haru couldn't…

"You never told the story of your first love." He turns when Makoto does this time and their eyes meet. "Last year. I told about the waterfall…"

"That's because it wasn't my question to answer in the game." When Makoto doesn't go on, Haru thinks for a moment that Makoto is going to make him say it more directly—but then Makoto sighs and turns forward again. "Are you thinking basketball was my first love or something like that?"

Haru shakes his head and then, because it seems that Makoto may not catch the movement, adds, "No." He knows Makoto likes swimming not basketball; he even likes swimming in the ocean now. Haru glances at him again. "You and Kisumi seemed pretty happy to see each other."

Beside him, Makoto lets out a breath that sounds like a very soft, _oh_.

Then he says, "A first love and a first kiss aren't the same thing."

Haru feels his eyes start to widen as he turns to Makoto now. "You—he was your first kiss?"

Makoto glances sidelong without turning fully, looking forward again as he nods. "He was my first a lot of things. But not my first love."

When Makoto still doesn't turn to him, Haru looks at the ocean again.

They keep walking like that.

"If there's something you want to ask me, Haru, you know you can. Just… just be sure you really want to know the answer."

Haru casts another glance at him, wondering when Makoto started to sound so much like an adult. "Do you have questions you don't ask me?"

Makoto takes a breath and seems to come to a decision. "For a long time, I didn't ask you about Rin. And I'm not asking now," he adds quickly. "At least not _that_ question."

Before Haru can ask what he means by that, Makoto says, "But, there was something Kisumi said today." He looks over and their eyes meet, and Haru can see that Makoto may have one foot in adulthood now but he also still has one foot back here where Haru is. "Were you really lonely when Rin was in Australia?"

Haru keeps looking at him. "Do you really think Kisumi knows me better than you do?"

"That's not an answer, Haru."

Looking forward again, Haru says, "I missed him. But there was no way for me to be lonely when I had you with me." He thought it was obvious but it seems that somehow Makoto didn't know it so, there, Haru has said it.

He thinks that will be that, but then Makoto says, "Did I hold you back, back then, by being too close? Have we been holding each other back all along?"

Haru comes to a stop. Makoto does too, but he doesn't look at Haru so Haru stops looking at him. He watches a wave break on the shore, scatter itself back into the ocean.

If they stand here like this much longer, it will become too long.

"Even if you held me back." Haru isn't sure what he wants to say; he doesn't know if they held each other back, back then. But someone has to say something. Makoto was the one to ask the question so now it's Haru's turn to say something. He starts again and keeps going this time: "Even if you held me back, you also moved me forward. And I—" He breaks off, follows the pale path of light from the rising moon across the water as it vanishes into the horizon.

"Yeah," Makoto says. "You moved me forward, too. Maybe we just need to move ourselves forward now."

Haru looks at him. Makoto smiles and Haru latches onto it, even though he doesn't smile back. "We can do this, Haru. It doesn't mean we're leaving each other behind, even if we take different paths. It's not like our paths won't ever cross again, you know?"

Haru looks up at Makoto. There had been a time, back then, when Makoto had been the one who had to look up at him. Things change. But they're still together.

He smiles up at Makoto.

Makoto smiles back.

They start walking again, both looking forward. Beside them the ocean waters flow wild and easy and free, as they ever have, as they ever will.


End file.
